As more people know someone who is gay, support for gay marriage leaps

As a controversial bill in Arizona promoting religious freedom fires up national debate over gay rights, a new study emerged Wednesday revealing that most Americans now support same-sex marriage.

Support for gay marriage has leaped 21 percentage points from 2003 when Massachusetts became the first state to legalize it, according to a survey conducted by the nonpartisan Public Religion Research Institute.

Today, 53% of Americans favor permitting gay and lesbian marriages vs. 32% in 2003. In 2003, the majority, or nearly 59%, of Americans opposed gay marriage. The survey found that many Americans have changed their position on gay marriage because they were more likely to know someone who is gay.

“The number of Americans who have a close friend or family member who is gay or lesbian has increased by a factor of three over the last two decades, from 22 percent in 1993 to 65 percent today,” said Daniel Cox, PRRI’s research director.

The study also found that in 2003, all major religious groups took a stance against gay marriage.

Today, majority support can be found among Jewish Americans (83%), white mainstream Protestants (62%), white Catholics (58%) and Hispanic Catholics (56%). Only 27% of white evangelical Protestans and 35% of black Protestants back gay marriage, the study shows.

The majority of younger Americans are in favor of gay marriage with 69% of Millennials supporting it vs. just 37% of Americans who are 68 and older. In the study, 70% of young Americans said they felt alienated by religious groups’ negative treatment of gays and lesbians.

“Nearly one-third of Millennials who left their childhood religion say unfavorable church teachings about or treatment of gay and lesbian people played a significant role in their decision to head for the exit,” said Robert Jones, the PRRI’s CEO.

The study also found that transgender, gays and lesbians still face rampant discrimination and significant threats in the U.S. Most Americans surveyed support laws and procedures that would protect gay people in the workplace.

SB1062, the “religious freedom” bill, would allow business owners who oppose gay lifestyles to refuse service to gays and lesbians.

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